# Netflix’s The Crown S5 (open spoilers) **URL:** \ **Category:** Cafe Society\ **Tags:** tv-shows-scripted, netflix\ **Created:** [August 3, 2021, 3:03pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/netflix-s-the-crown-s5-open-spoilers/947968 "2021-08-03T15:03:02Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![Elendil\_s\_Heir](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/7cd45c/32.png) [@Elendil\_s\_Heir](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Elendil_s_Heir)\ **Post date:** [August 3, 2021, 3:03pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/netflix-s-the-crown-s5-open-spoilers/947968/1 "2021-08-03T15:03:02Z")
The S4 thread: [The Crown; season 4](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-crown-season-4/925643) And S3: [Netflix's The Crown S3 (open spoilers)](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/netflixs-the-crown-s3-open-spoilers/840274) The Wiki article: [The Crown (TV series) - Wikipedia](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Crown_(TV_series)) More on casting for S5 and S6: [The Crown Season 5 Guide to Release Date, Cast News, and Spoilers](https://www.harpersbazaar.com/culture/film-tv/a29890840/the-crown-season-5-news-cast-spoilers-date/) S5 is filming in Scotland as we speak: [The Crown: Imelda Staunton in Character as Queen Elizabeth for Filming](https://people.com/royals/imelda-staunton-as-queen-elizabeth-filming-the-crown-season-5-set-photos/) ---
**Author:** ![puzzlegal](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/puzzlegal/32/3827_2.png) [@puzzlegal](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/puzzlegal)\ **Post date:** [August 3, 2021, 3:29pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/netflix-s-the-crown-s5-open-spoilers/947968/2 "2021-08-03T15:29:07Z")
Ooh, thanks for getting this started. ---
**Author:** ![MrDibble](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/mrdibble/32/114_2.png) [@MrDibble](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/MrDibble)\ **Post date:** [August 3, 2021, 3:33pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/netflix-s-the-crown-s5-open-spoilers/947968/3 "2021-08-03T15:33:01Z")
They haven’t exactly gone out of their way to make her _not_ look like Umbridge, I wonder if that was by design. ---
**Author:** ![SwissMan](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/e79b87/32.png) [@SwissMan](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/SwissMan)\ **Post date:** [August 3, 2021, 5:16pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/netflix-s-the-crown-s5-open-spoilers/947968/4 "2021-08-03T17:16:44Z")
I wonder the timeframe that will be covered in S5. My guess is that it will end in 2002; this would seem a logical endpoint, given that that year contained the deaths of Margaret and the Queen Mother as well as Elizabeth’s Golden Jubilee. Granted, that would leave quite a lot to cover over the last season (almost two decades). ---
**Author:** ![alphaboi867](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/alphaboi867/32/3898_2.png) [@alphaboi867](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/alphaboi867)\ **Post date:** [August 3, 2021, 9:02pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/netflix-s-the-crown-s5-open-spoilers/947968/5 "2021-08-03T21:02:57Z")
If they cheat on the 20 year rule my WAG is that season 6 ends with William & Kate marrying. We’re not going to see anything anything related to Harry & Meghan (unless they throw in an Easter Egg of someone watching Suits in the background). ---
**Author:** ![alphaboi867](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/alphaboi867/32/3898_2.png) [@alphaboi867](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/alphaboi867)\ **Post date:** [November 10, 2022, 12:32am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/netflix-s-the-crown-s5-open-spoilers/947968/6 "2022-11-10T00:32:34Z")
Season 5 just dropped on Netflix; it appears to cover 1991 to 1997. ---
**Author:** ![Elendil\_s\_Heir](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/7cd45c/32.png) [@Elendil\_s\_Heir](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Elendil_s_Heir)\ **Post date:** [November 10, 2022, 5:53pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/netflix-s-the-crown-s5-open-spoilers/947968/7 "2022-11-10T17:53:43Z")
Ah, thanks! Here’s the trailer: [![](https://img.youtube.com/vi/Ej0vb8xhvbw/maxresdefault.jpg "The Crown | Season 5 Official Trailer | Netflix") ](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Ej0vb8xhvbw) ---
**Author:** ![JohnT](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/johnt/32/15048_2.png) [@JohnT](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/JohnT)\ **Post date:** [November 11, 2022, 2:08am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/netflix-s-the-crown-s5-open-spoilers/947968/8 "2022-11-11T02:08:46Z")
Posting to subscribe. @ episode 5 right now, enjoying it very much and am looking forward to the rewatch. ---
**Author:** ![muldoonthief](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/muldoonthief/32/3188_2.png) [@muldoonthief](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/muldoonthief)\ **Post date:** [November 11, 2022, 2:51pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/netflix-s-the-crown-s5-open-spoilers/947968/9 "2022-11-11T14:51:17Z")
From episode 1 at least, they went for an Umbridge-esque personality as well. ---
**Author:** ![Marvin\_the\_Martian](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/marvin_the_martian/32/2898_2.png) [@Marvin\_the\_Martian](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Marvin_the_Martian)\ **Post date:** [November 11, 2022, 7:07pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/netflix-s-the-crown-s5-open-spoilers/947968/10 "2022-11-11T19:07:40Z")
Just watched episode 1. Not thrilled with some of the casting, at least from their appearances. Charles doesn’t look even vaguely like Charles, really threw me off. I was getting the Royal Princesses confused (even though they are supposed to be different generations). Philip’s look is off, but gruff old yelling guy let’s you know who he is. Batty old lady must be the Queen Mum. Diana is obvious from the hairstyle. Hopefully the cast will grow on me as I get further into the season. Did they bring back Claire Foy to shoot the yacht christening newsreel or did they shoot it in seasons 1/2? ---
**Author:** ![muldoonthief](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/muldoonthief/32/3188_2.png) [@muldoonthief](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/muldoonthief)\ **Post date:** [November 11, 2022, 8:39pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/netflix-s-the-crown-s5-open-spoilers/947968/11 "2022-11-11T20:39:50Z")
I agree, it took a while before I realized Anne wasn’t Margaret. And the casting of Jonny Lee Miller as John Major was really tough - once I realized who the actor was, all I could think of was Sick Boy and Sherlock Holmes. I’ve got to assume they brought Claire Foy back, it wasn’t something that actually aired in her original seasons, and it seems like a lot to film and not use. ---
**Author:** ![Marvin\_the\_Martian](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/marvin_the_martian/32/2898_2.png) [@Marvin\_the\_Martian](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Marvin_the_Martian)\ **Post date:** [November 11, 2022, 8:58pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/netflix-s-the-crown-s5-open-spoilers/947968/12 "2022-11-11T20:58:33Z")
> [@muldoonthief](#): > > I agree, it took a while before I realized Anne wasn’t Margaret. Especially when Anne said something along the lines of “at our age the weight doesn’t just fall off” before they headed to the lighthouse. ---
**Author:** ![puzzlegal](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/puzzlegal/32/3827_2.png) [@puzzlegal](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/puzzlegal)\ **Post date:** [November 11, 2022, 9:08pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/netflix-s-the-crown-s5-open-spoilers/947968/13 "2022-11-11T21:08:58Z")
I don’t like the casting of the queen, either. She doesn’t look like queen Elizabeth to me. ---
**Author:** ![JohnT](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/johnt/32/15048_2.png) [@JohnT](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/JohnT)\ **Post date:** [November 11, 2022, 10:12pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/netflix-s-the-crown-s5-open-spoilers/947968/14 "2022-11-11T22:12:53Z")
I’m loving it. My biggest complaint is the lighting, too many scenes are too dark. But I love how they are structuring the stories, especially episode 3, “Mou Mou” and episode 6, “Ivesta House” (spelling, probably), showing how these people _mattered_ both within the Empire and without. I got the impression it took a few episodes for everyone to settle in their roles, but it could also be it took _me_ a few episodes to accept everyone in their roles. Who knows? But I bought the obviously-laughable ‘these people are years younger’ concept in _Better Call Saul_, I can buy the new cast here. I’m @ episode 9 and see no chance of the events of mid 1997 to be explored. Pretty sure Diana’s death will be, at most, the closing sequence of episode 10, with the fallout being most of S6. Will find out soon! ---
**Author:** ![alphaboi867](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/alphaboi867/32/3898_2.png) [@alphaboi867](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/alphaboi867)\ **Post date:** [November 12, 2022, 12:58am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/netflix-s-the-crown-s5-open-spoilers/947968/15 "2022-11-12T00:58:43Z")
Of the trio Camila came out looking the best, but then again she also had the least screen time. She seems very much like Princess Anne and in hindsight would’ve fit in the Royal Family _much_ better than Diana. And it was weird seeing the same actress that played her in **The Windsors** show up as one of the Queen’s ladies-in-waiting/wife of the BBC head. ---
**Author:** ![SwissMan](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/e79b87/32.png) [@SwissMan](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/SwissMan)\ **Post date:** [November 12, 2022, 2:31am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/netflix-s-the-crown-s5-open-spoilers/947968/16 "2022-11-12T02:31:11Z")
I finished the season earlier today and thought it was eminently watchable. The seventh episode (depicting Martin Bashir’s machinations to secure his interview with Diana) would have been very different if made a few years ago. I agree that Dominic West really does not look anything like Charles; he isn’t being helped by the fact that Josh O’Connor looked so much like him. I actually think that everyone else bears a pretty good resemblance though; Imelda Staunton, for my money, looks more like the Queen physically then either Claire Foy or Olivia Colman. I feel sorry for the actor who plays Prince Andrew; imagine having to spend weeks walking around off set sporting that hideous haircut. If I take anything away from this season, it is the near inability to comprehend the fact that there was an actual individual who was given the name “Marmaduke Hussey.” Dickens couldn’t have come up with that if he had tried with all his might. ---
**Author:** ![Terminus\_Est](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/terminus_est/32/3087_2.png) [@Terminus\_Est](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Terminus_Est)\ **Post date:** [November 12, 2022, 2:28pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/netflix-s-the-crown-s5-open-spoilers/947968/17 "2022-11-12T14:28:58Z")
> [@Marvin\_the\_Martian](#): > > Charles doesn’t look even vaguely like Charles, really threw me off. Yes, this this was my first impression as well, viewing the first episode. The actors they are getting to play Charles are looking less and less like Charles as the series goes on. ---
**Author:** ![LVBoPeep](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/858c86/32.png) [@LVBoPeep](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/LVBoPeep)\ **Post date:** [November 12, 2022, 5:14pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/netflix-s-the-crown-s5-open-spoilers/947968/18 "2022-11-12T17:14:28Z")
I think the casting of Diana is downright spooky- the actress has the angular poses down pat. I’m only on episode 4 but I hate the casting of Dominic West because I can’t find anything sympathetic in his Charles where I did in previous seasons. It may be that I just can’t get past his role in The Affair as an utter jackass. Claire Foy still was the best queen with Olivia Coleman a disappointment and distant 2nd. Umbridge, I mean Imelda Staunton is just ok so far- she seems like a bit character in this season, not the center. ---
**Author:** ![Lantern2](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/lantern2/32/3010_2.png) [@Lantern2](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Lantern2)\ **Post date:** [November 12, 2022, 7:49pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/netflix-s-the-crown-s5-open-spoilers/947968/19 "2022-11-12T19:49:12Z")
Have watched the first three episodes and really enjoyed them. I was never all that interested in the Charles/Diana saga so I was wondering how this season would go, but so far they are doing a nice job of mixing it up. Who would have imagined there would be a charming digression into the pleasures of carriage racing ? Or the touching arc of an Egyptian billionaire and his Bahamian valet. Incidentally I was reading about the Al-Fayed family and Dodi’s mother Samira was apparently an influential Saudi writer and editor. Her brother, who appears briefly, was none other than Adnan Khashoggi the legendary Saudi arms-dealer. Her nephew was the journalist Jamal Khashoggi who was assassinated at the Saudi consulate. It’s a small world… ---
**Author:** ![commasense](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/commasense/32/3017_2.png) [@commasense](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/commasense)\ **Post date:** [November 14, 2022, 3:12pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/netflix-s-the-crown-s5-open-spoilers/947968/20 "2022-11-14T15:12:21Z")
At first I was really distracted by the casting because I know Staunton, Pryce, and West from so many other roles (_McNulty_ is _Prince Charles_?!?), but over time I got used to them. And even though West doesn’t really look a lot like Charles, he got the voice and mannerisms down pretty well. Elizabeth Debicki as Diana was the easiest to accept, although she is much taller (6’ 2"!) and thinner than Diana, and a couple inches taller than West, where Charles and Diana seem to be about the same height in most pictures. But she also got the mannerisms and voice right. > [@Lantern2](#): > > Or the touching arc of an Egyptian billionaire and his Bahamian valet. From the little bit of research I did on Sydney Johnson, although he was apparently a remarkable person, the bit about Fayed hiring him to teach him to be an English gentleman seems to have been fabricated. They apparently met when Fayed agreed to restore Le Bois, the mansion the Duke and Duchess of Windsor lived in. Johnson had been with the Duchess until she died, and stayed on under Fayed to curate the couple’s possessions. We’ve watched the whole season now, and enjoyed it quite a bit. It seemed quite even-handed in its treatment of the top five characters, showing some positive and negative aspects of each, without appearing to be grinding any axes. [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/netflix-s-the-crown-s5-open-spoilers/947968.md?page=2)